William gilbert akd jacob garrabeant



W. GILBERT 8v J. GARRABRANT. Signal for Railway Draw-Bridge. No. 197,358.

Patented Nov. 20, 1877.

4@PATENT wrLLIAMeILBEET AND JAcoB GAREAEEANT, 0E JEEsEY CITY, JERSEY.

l A.-Sp,eciflcation forming of .Letters Patent No. .197,35 8, dated November 20, 1877; application `filed `Be, i f known th` t we, WILrIArT @adJAGQRGARRABRAMt @Jersey City, inv the county of Hudson and State ofv New-J ers qey, have jointly invented certain new and useful .Improvements in Signals for IRailway Draw-Bridges, of which the following is a desqriptiomgreference being hadto' the accomrant/ins drawings., formi-nepart `0f thisspei- `This invention binations of meansv forl operatingsignals on a line of railroad automaticallyby 'a rotating draw-bridge, to `indicate when the latterI is open and closed., f

Figure 1 repre ,ents a longitudinal Asectirinal elevation of adraw-bridge and line Aof railroad Ai111 part, l With .our intenti@ arpled- Fie. 21S a: plan of the same, :and yFig. 3 an end ,view thereof. f i

Ais a hori.z ontally-` rotating V'draw-Abridge, arranged towing 0r byfaieatra1`pv0t.

D is the stationarywheel ,or on the socket or base B, by which, on turninga pinion, by'crank or handle applied tol an uprightspindle, -efcarried by the bridge A,

the latter is turned to open and close the draw.

When the bridge A is closed, as represented in Figs. 1 and 2, itisleked, tokeep. itsrailsd d in line with the rails c c of the main track,

by the engagement of sliding bolts f f at the ends of the bridge with xed socketsvor keepers g gin the abutmentsC G. These bolts ff are thrown into lock with the abutments by springs G G; or weights, chains, and pulleys, or Weighted levers,may be substituted for said springs. Said bolts are thrown out of lock by a lever, H, which has its fulcrum h on the under side of ,the bridge. Said springs Gr Gr and the lever H arel connected, for operation in reverse relation with each other on the bolts f j', by mechanism substantially as follows:

I I are transverse rock-shafts on theunder side of the bridge, near its opposite ends.

consists .in certain novel `coni-,

, october 10,1877.

l These rock-shafts have fast on arms t' t',

jto .which the bolts f f are attached `,and on peach of said shafts is also secured an arm, k,

ling of the bolts f into lock with the sockets )ne of these arms, k, is attached by a rod,`l, to g thelever H, and this lever isfurtherconnected ,by a rod, m, to the lower arm of la doublearmed lever, J, the upper arm `of which is aton drawing the lever H to thev right, against lthe tension of the springs G,.the bolts f f, =at opposite ends of the bridge, are withfdrawn from lock with the abutments, and the bridge A is, or may be, turnedv to open it by dle, K. When the lever H isthus adjusted, a spring bolt or catchy, on itengages with a back the bolts f j' but after thelbridge has been closed, and ,the bolts f f are in line with the sockets or keepers g g, then thespringfbolt r :is liberated ,from the notch V8 and the lever H Alisthrown by the springs 'Gr Gto the left, and

fs', lat the opposite end of the frametL, t0 hold the 'bolts j' j', as thrown bythe springs 'Gr Gr, 'in lock with their keepers g. 4

The liberation of the spring-bolt v from the Inotch 8.', `when it is required to draw back the bolts f f by the lever H, may be eected directly by hand, applied to said,. s pri ngbolt;

theboltsff are required toshoot `into lock VGr G, is effected automatically by the turning of the bridge A as the latter is brought into a closed position. This is done by means of an upright sliding rod, M, on they bridge, controlled by a spring, o, and mounted by a releasing-cap, t, rising up or on the raised portion a of a fixed cam, T, which causes the rod M, by its cap t, to release the'spring-bolt fr from the notch s, and so liberate the springs Gr Gr and bolts f f.

Erected on the main line, at any suitable distance from the opposite ends ofthe bridge, are

prior to opening it, are automatically turned or operated to indicate danger, and remaln to which the springs Gr, thatcontrol the sho0t.

0r keepers g in the abutments, are attached.,

Ltached by a rod, n, to the other arm k, so that rotating the spindle e through a crank or han-- Enotch, s, in aframe, L, on the bridge, to hold L the vspring-bolt r engages with a further notch,`

but the liberation of it from the notch s when with their keepers g, by the actin'ofthe springs,

signals N N, which, as the bridge is unlocked` so during the opening and closing ofthe bridge, and until the latter is again locked by the bolts ff, but which, when the bridge is closed and locked, are automatically turned or operated to indicate safety These signals N N may be variously constructed, but are here represented as consisting of different-colored transverse disks al b', mounted on an upright spindle, c1, arranged to it or turn in suitable bearings, so as to expose either disk, al or b1, to the view of the engineer of a train moving toward the bridge, the one colored disk, a1, indicating danger,7 and the other dierently-colored disk, b1, signifying safety. Different-colored lights may be substituted for the disks when the signals are required to be operated at night.

To automatically adjust these signals to their proper positions in relation with the bridge, as described, the bolts ff, when shooting into lock as the bridge is closed, are caused to act, either directly or through followers d1 d, on a swinging frame or levers, R, the axis of motion of which is at e. This frame, which is the same or duplicated at both ends of the bridge, is connected, by a rod, f', and crank or arm g', with the spindle c1 of either signal, and is operated in one direction of its motion by a spring, W, or a weight may be substituted for a spring, and is operated in a reverse direction by the bolts f j.

Thus, when the bridge is closed, and as the bolts ff shoot into lock to secure it, said bolts operate on the followers d, and through the latter on the swinging frames R, against the action of the springs T, to turn the signals N so as to indicate safetyi On the other hand, when, or as, the bolts ff are withdrawn from lock, prior to turning the bridge to open the latter, the springs act upon the swinging frames R to turn the signals N N so as to indicate danger, and said signals remain iny such position not only till the bridge is closed, but till it is locked again.

In addition to these signals N N, there is another and like signal, N', on the bridge itself. This additional signal is or may be of the same construction as the signals N N, being formed of 'transverse dilierently-colored disks a2 b2, erected on an upright spindle, e2, and arranged. to operate in the same relation with the opening and closing or locking and unlocking of the bridge A as the signals N N, by the connection of one of the arms la, through ya rod, d2, and crank e, with the spindle c of the signal N.

This bridge-signal N is not only an additional precaution in case of the other signals N N being overlooked, but it indicates to craft passing up or down the stream over which the bridge is thrown the open or closed and locked or unlocked condition of the bridge.

We claim- 1. The combination, with the horizontallyswinging or rotating draw-bridge A, of the locking bolts f f, controlled by weights or springs G G, the abutments C C, the lever H, with its conneciionsfor withdrawing said bolts, and the signals N N, arranged in advance of -either end of the bridge, and controlled by the adjustment of the lever H, substantially as specied.

2. The combination, with the swinging orA rotating draw-bridge A, of the locking-bolts f f, the sockets or keepers g g, the springs G G, the lever H, the rock-shafts I I, the arms i i k the rods l m n, the double arm or lever J, and the signals N N, with means, substantially as described, for controlling said signals by the locking and unlocking action of the bolts f f, essentially. as described.

3. Thelever H, providedwith a springbolt or catch, r, in combination with the frame L, having opposite end notches s s', the sliding rod M, having a releasing-cap, t, the rotating bridge A, the cam T, having a raised portion, u, the

rod l, the arms or levers k, the levers it', the

`rod m, the lever J, the rod u, the springs Gr f G, the bolts f f, controlled bysaid springs and i lever H, and the signals N N, with means for .controlling said signals by the'locking and unlocking action of the bolts fj, substantially as specified.

4. The combination of the swinging framesor levers R with the bolts ff, the followers d', the rod f', the crank g', the spindle -ol of the signals N N, and the cam T, or its equivalent,-

substantially as specified.

WM. GILBERT. JACOB GARRABRANT.

Witnesses:

FRED. HAYNES, EDWARD B. SPERRY. 

